Extending Health Insurance to the Working Poor: An Assessment of Health Status and Health Care Utilization Effects Among New York City Home Health Attendants, February 1990-June 1991 (ICPSR 9774)

Principal Investigator(s):Weitzman, Beth, New York University. Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service

Summary:

Using a pre- and post-program design, this survey studied
newly-hired home health attendants and their families, most of whom
were without medical insurance until they became eligible for health
benefits through their union. To assess changes in health status and
health services utilization, the attendants were interviewed at the
point of union enrollment, and again nine months later. The interview
taken prior to enrollment in the benefits program elicited information
about concern over health, ... (more info)

Using a pre- and post-program design, this survey studied
newly-hired home health attendants and their families, most of whom
were without medical insurance until they became eligible for health
benefits through their union. To assess changes in health status and
health services utilization, the attendants were interviewed at the
point of union enrollment, and again nine months later. The interview
taken prior to enrollment in the benefits program elicited information
about concern over health, recent injuries, and self-assessed health
status, e.g., the presence or absence of specific health conditions
such as diabetes, ulcers, arthritis, stomach trouble, high blood
pressure, allergies, asthma, and back problems. Respondents were also
queried about the extent and type of previous health coverage
(including Medicare and disability insurance), limitations of daily
functioning due to poor health, and recent health care utilization,
including hospitalization, emergency room usage, and routine ambulatory
care. The latter included questions about out-of-pocket expenses and
the type of health services received, such as X-rays, CAT scans,
sonograms, laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, stress tests, surgery,
and setting of bones. Other questions addressed utilization issues of
particular relevance to the New York City area, e.g., the use of city
hospital clinics. The post-enrollment survey included parallel
follow-up questions, as well as questions regarding the respondent's
employment status and current benefits. Additional variables in the
data collection include respondent's race, Hispanic origin, place of
birth, past work experience, date of birth, and sex, plus the sex and
dates of birth of family members.

Access Notes

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Study Description

Citation

Weitzman, Beth. Extending Health Insurance to the Working Poor: An Assessment of Health Status and Health Care Utilization Effects Among New York City Home Health Attendants, February 1990-June 1991. ICPSR09774-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1998. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09774.v1

Methodology

Sample:
The study sample is a nonprobability sample of home health
attendants. A distinct group of newly-hired home attendants was
identified and judged to be representative of home health attendants.
These approximately 1,700 newly-hired home attendants were invited, by
mail, to come to union headquarters for enrollment and benefits
orientation, and also to participate in a study of health status and
utilization. This group of 1,700 comprised all health attendants newly
hired during the period beginning in February and ending in August
1990. The pre-enrollment survey was administered to these attendants as
they came to the union headquarters. A total of 475 attendants were
interviewed. Because of the constant flow of home attendants into the
union headquarters for enrollment, no attempt was made to interview
every newly-hired home attendant but rather to interview a substantial
number as they became available. Approximately nine months later,
follow-up interviews were obtained with 360 of the 475 sample members.

Data Source:

personal interviews and telephone interviews

Version(s)

Original ICPSR Release:1995-08-16

Version History:

2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 6 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.

2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 5 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.